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` 2 sheetssheen 1.

(No Model.)

D. L. BARKER. .A.B,TE.SIA1\T 0R TUBE WELL.

Patente Aug. 10, 1897.-

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

-Df. L. BARKER. ARTESIAN 0B TUBE WELL.

Patented Aug FIG.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DELBERT L. BARKER, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLOAND.

ARTESIAN OR TUBE WELL.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 587,77 9, dated August10, 1897. v Application led May l, 1897. Serial No. 634,701. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DELBERT L. BARKEa,a citizen of the United States,residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of RhodeIsland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Artesian orTube lVells; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

In a patent of the United States, No. 566, 871,

issued to me August 25, 1896, I have described and claimed certainimprovements in tubewells, so called.

My present invention also relatcsvto tubewells, the invention being tosome extent an improvement in the art or process of developingtube-wells, as disclosed in the patent referred to, all as hereinafterfully set forth and claimed'.

I would stato here that it is not an unusual condition to find the earthin certain thicklysettled communities stratified with boulders,Cobble-stones, gravel, 4and sand-say within one hundred feet of thesurfacein which there is a free circulation of water liable to becontaminated with iron-rust or surface impurities, thus rendering thewater discharged from tube-wells located in such districts practicallyunfit for use, whether employed for culinary ormanufacturingpurposes. Ifnow the well be sunk still deeper, thereby carrying it down through somestratification, as clay, that is impervious to the surface water, untilwater-bearing sand is reached, the water thus obtained obviously will befree from the impurities found in the said overlying strata. lVhile itmay happen that the volume of water supplied to the `wells was amplebefore the latter were sunken into the sand, the volume of Waternaturally flowing or percolating into the Wells in the latter' casewould be very much reduced, this being especially true if the sandthrough which the water percolates be comparatively line. Under suchcircumstances it is desirable to supply gravel artificially at the baseof the wells to increase their efficiency or capacity by removing acorresponding amount of the sand. The said Patent No. 566,371 shows amanner of displacing the sand and forming an artificial bed of gravel inits stead. 4

In order to eect the result just referred to, it would be impracticableto employ the ordinary appliances as well as being too expensive tosupply the Wash-water, compressed air or other medium underhigh-pressure in sufficient volume to cause the sand to HOW freelyupward to the surface of the ground, because the wash-water or othermedium employed would pass oif too freely in circulation in thedifferent coarse strata of material, instead of returning to the earthssurface.

The object I have in view in my present invention is to provide meansadapted to successfully overcome the disadvantages or objectionsreferred to, the result being that 'a tube-Well having any depth andextending downward through any kind of stratifications and terminatingin water-bearing sand may have its .capacity greatly increased atcomparatively small cost, the Water of the Well being pure or, at least,uncontaminated with surface impurities. I may add that in this countryalone there are to-day thousands of large and deep Artesian wells thebottoms of which terminate in water-bearing sand, the yield of waterfrom them being far below the capacity of the tubes. The capacity orproductiveness of such wells canbe greatly increased by the introductionof large quantities of gravel or other suitable filtering substancearound thevbottom ends of the tubes, and also whether the latter beprovided with screens or have open ends. Such former wells may be thusimproved by means of my invention and it can be employed when new wellsare being sunk.

By means of my invention the gravel can be sunk and left outside of andaround the bottom of the screens even though the latter are somewhatsmaller than the inner diameter of the driven or sunken pipe, or goodresults may be obtained without the use of screens by simplyleaving thebottom end of the tube or pipe open, so that water will readily iiowtherein after first percolatin g through the gravel.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawings, Figure l is a verticalcentral section of vIco a well-known form of driven or slinken Artesianwell, the pipe thereof passing down through various coarsestratifications and terminatin gin water-bearin g sand, the lower endsection of the pipe as drawn being a long tubular screen capable ofbeing withdrawn from the pipe. The several parts are shown in the normalposition for use, the pump and some of the minor parts being omitted.Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same, showing the screen combined withmy improved apparatus in the act of washing out the sand around thescreen preparatory to introducing the gravel. Fig. 3 is a similar viewshowing the artificial iilter-bed of gravel practically completed, andFig. -l is a sectional view showing thewashout apparatus removed fromthe well and the strainer returned to the normal position shown in Fig.l and being inclosed in the artificially-formed filter-bed.

Again referring to thev drawings, a, Fig. l, indicates an ordinary welltube or pipe sunk into the earth in any well-known manner and extendingthrough various strati'cationsas, for example, the surface mold A,boulders, coarse gravel, dac., B, impervious hard pan or clay formationC, and into an indefinite thickness of water -bearing sand D. The lowerend of the tube a has a tubular screen or strainer s removably securedthereto, substantially as usual. The bottom end of the tube proper hasan external member b, of steel, adapted to c'ut away or loosen thematerial encountered in sinking the pipe a. After the latter has beensunk to the desired depth into the water-bearing sand the tubular screens is inserted in the pipe a and forced downwardly into the sand belowthe end of the pipe. The upper end of the screen, however, rests withinthe pipe and is kept watertight therein by means of the lead or rubberpacking c. The latter may be withdrawn or replaced at will by means ofsuitable connections (not shown) adapted to be attached to the eyes orhooks d. The screen itself may be removed by suit-able tools or tacklehooked into the bail s', secured to the base of the screen. In lieu offorcing the screen into the sand after the pipe a has been sunk intoposition the two parts may be sunk simultaneously to the desired depth,the lower end of the screen in such case then being, say, iiush with thecorresponding end ot the pipe, after which the latter is lifted untilthe relation of the parts are substantially as shown in Fig. l, theimpinging force of the sand against the exterior of the screen operatingmeanwhile to keep it in place or stationary. Assuming now that the pipeand screen have been sunken, say, into water-bearing sand having adegree of fineness such that it quickly impacts itself into and aroundthe screen,V (and such conditions are very frequently encountered,) itis obvious that the efficiency or yield of the well is thereby seriouslyaffected. In such case the screen has to be withdrawn at short intervalsand after cieanin g it is replaced at the bottom of the pipe.these'natural'eonditions the cost of maintenance is greatly increased,while the yield of water from the well is at best Airregular anduncertain.

My invention resides, essentially, in converting an old well, such asbefore described, or even a new one, into one having a greatly- Under lincreased yield or efliciency, the change be-4 ing effected at acomparatively small expense. This is accomplished by iirst withdrawingthe strainer, or it maybe a plain tube s, and securingat its upper endan internal collar s', into which latter is screwed the central bushingor annular plug 7L, having, say, a

left-hand screw-thread. A anged tube rn extends down through the centerof the plug and screen nearly to the bottom of the latten,

the lower end of pipe n being secured by a suitable coupling t to anopen bell-mouthed flexible packing member o, of rubber or other suitablematerial, adapted to bear snugly against the inner surface of thecorresponding part of the strainer or member s, thus iirmly-holding thetube n in position. the said tube n has thus been secured in place ahollow cone-shaped cap f is snugly screwed to the upper portion of theplug h, thereby inclosing the tube, &c. The strainer or mem-` ber s isnext introduced into the mouth'of the pipe a, a length of smaller pipe pbeing rst secured to the top of the cap f by a screwthreaded coupling m.The strainer is now lowered to its original place in the sand D at thebottom of the well, the pipe p at the same time being extended bysuccessive lengths corresponding to the depth of the well. The upper endof the pipe p extends above the tube ct any suitable distance and isprovided at the top with a suitable head or stuingbox p2, into whichpasses a short verticallymovable pipe e', having a branch or nozzlecoupled to a hose or connection e, communieating with water, compressedair, or'ot-her medium under pressure. (See Fig. 2.) Now in order to sinkthe screen s a suitable distance farther into the sand D below itsoriginal position, (shown in Fig. 1,) water under high pressure, termedwash-water, is in- After- IID troduced into the pipe n of the strainer,(viaV Y hose e i es e and cone-sha ed connection f.) The force of thiswater expands the said iiexible'packing o snugly against thel inside ofthe screen, thus automatically clos'-y sage, as a, upwardly around itsexterior until it communicates with the open lower end of the fixed mainpipe a via the inclined 'passage u2. Meanwhile the weight of the screenand its attached part-s causes the screen to gradually sink deeper intothe sand, thereby at the same time increasing the space or distancevertically between the pipe a' and conshown in Fig. 3.

nection f and forming a practically unobstructed return passage upwardlythrough the pipe a for the waste wash-water and the loosened sand, thesaid waste water and sand overflowing the mouth of the well-tube at thesurface of the ground, where they are allowed to run to waste. Thisoperation is continued until the screen has been sunk to the desireddepth or point, when now the pipe p and its attached parts are securedin position in any suitable manner. Fig. 2 shows the correspondin grelation of the parts before the gravel or filtering material isintroduced at the base of the well.

In carrying out the prirt of the invention last referred to I may employa perforated table or hopper r at the mouth of the well, as After thescreen, dac., have been sunk below the tube a to the desired depth-sayas shown in Fig. Z-the continued ow of wash-water under high pressurefrom the bottom of the screen or removable tubular section s operates toenlarge the space around the latter, the sand thus loosened ordisintegrated fiowing upwardly through the welltube and escaping throughthe perforated base of the hopper fr. lVhile this is taking place asuitable quantity of coarse gravel or other suitable equivalent materialis shoveled or deposited onto the hopper. The gravel falls by itssuperior specific gravity downwardly .through the ascending column ofwater and sand to the bottom of the well and gradually fills the spacearound the screen or section s previously occupied by the sand. Theoperation may be continued until the thus artificially-producedfilter-bed G of gravel extends quite a distance radially from the screenand even to the base of the well-tube, substantially as represented inFig. 3.

The next operation is to return the movable or screen section s to itsnormal or original position in the base of the tube d, and thus excludeall water from the well except that which flows through the screen afterpercolating through the artificial bed of gravel and the surroundingsand. This operation consists, first, in lifting the screen Ithrough themedium of its connections, tbc. to the desired height in the bottom ofthe main tube a, the friction of the gravel against the screen meanwhilekeeping the latter in position, after which the cone-shaped coupling f,feed-pipe p, dsc., are turned toward the right, thus unscrewing the plugh from the nut s of the screen, the latter then remaining stationary, asbefore stated. The pipe p and its attached members are now withdrawnfrom the well, the central tube n and its packing member' 0 being alsoremoved with them, since they are all connected together. The saidpackingring c, of lead or rubber, is next introduced into the well-tubeand forced home into the annular space formed between the adjacentsurfaces of the tube d and the upper part of the tubular screen ormember s, thus effectually sealing or closing said space and preventingwater from entering the well except it.

passes through the member s.

Fig. 4 shows the thus-completed well.

In case thewell is not a liowing one the' sand D to the desiredposition, I would state that in some wells the bottom or screen sectionsare omitted altogether and in other cases they are permanently fixed tothe open tube a. In such instances the yield of water from the wells maybe increased, substantially as hereinbefore describedthat is to say, theopen feed or wash-water pipe p is simply lowered to the base of the tubea (or to the lower open end of the fixed section s, if one be employed,)after which the action of the water or other medium issuing from thebottom of pipe p under high pressure washes away or loosens thecontiguous sand, and since the practically open annular space betweenthe outer and inner pipes d and 19 offers the least resistance totheescape from the well of the waste water the latter, together with thethus-freed sand mingled therewith, flows upwardly to the mouth of thewell and runs off to waste, substantially as before stated. Meanwhilethe ltering material, as gravel, or, in fact, any other suitablesubstance-such, for example, as stone, cinders, furnace-slag, hardcoal,&c. ,cracked or broken to the desired size-is gradually introducedinto the mouth of the well, the same falling by its superior specificgravity through the ascending column or volume of sand-carrying wastewater to the bottom of the well, where it then automaticallyfills thespace previously occupied by the sand, the operation being continueduntil a filter-bed G, having the desired size or capacity, is formed at,around, and below the open end of the xed tube a of the well. After thesaid artificial filterbed has thus been produced the feed-pipe p may beremoved from the well, thus completing the operation, the efficiency ofthe well thereby having been increased in substantially the same degreeas herein first described, wherein the well is provided with adetachablebottom section.

I would add that without departing from the spirit of my invention theorder or arrangement of the steps employed in the process hereindescribed and claimed may be varied somewhat, and, in fact, some of thesteps may be taking place concurrently or simultaneously with anotherstep-as, for example, the wash-water may be discharging from the pipe pwhile the latter is in motion, therebyat the same time establishing anupward or return current composed of the Waste IOO.

water and. loosened sand carried by it. At the same time, too, theiiltering material or gravel may be introduced into the well, thusfalling down through and against the force of the said ascending column,or the gravel may be introduced after the sand and water have ceasedowing.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by United States LettersPatentl. The improved process hereinbefore described of substituting abed of gravel or other suitable coarse'material for a bed of sand ortine material around the'bottom of a tubewell located in a water-bearing stratum ,which consists in lowering a tubular section or screen to thebottom of the well then forcing wash- Water or other suitable mediumunder high pressure downward through a smaller pipe secured to saidsection, thereby washing away sand from the bottom of the section andestablishing au upward or return passage around it and between theadjacent walls of the welltube and the wash-water pipe, through whichpassage the waste water and the thus-loosened sand hows upwardly to thesurface of the ground, the section meanwhile being gradually sunk intothe sand until the desired depth is attained; then introducingquantities of gravel or other suitable coarse filtering material intothe mouth of the well, from which it (the gravel) falls by gravity tothe bottom of the well through the upwardlyflowing current of sandand'was'te water and around the exterior 'of the saidtubular or screensection, and continuing the last-named step until the desired volume ofgravel hasz 'been deposited at the-base of the well to form anartificial filter-bed; then raising the saidl movable or screen sectionuntil its upper portion is well within the lower end of the main orstationary tube, and sealing it against the entrance of Water betweenthe said tube and section, thereby securing the latter in place case ofa non-flowing well connecting the pumping apparatus to the-well. n t 2.lheimprovement,- substantially as here- 5o inbefore described, in themethod of i-ucreas u ing the eiciency or yield of water from Artesian ortube wells having their bottom ends open andembeddedinwater-bearingsand,the same consisting, first, in inserting asmaller or vwash-water pipe, p, downward into the well to the desiredpoint or distance; next, discharging wash-water or other suitablelnedium under high pressure'from the lower p0rif tion of said pipe p,thereby loosening the 6o. sand, which mingling with thesaiddischargod orwaste water flows unobstructedly upward Y through the annular spacebetween the Wlltube and pipe p to the surface of the ground t i and runsoit to waste; then gradually intro- 651 ducing the desired volume ofgravel or other suitable filtering material, having a ,greaterspeciticgravitythan the Water,intothemouth of the well which in fallingthrough the slid ascending column of waste water and sand to 7o' thebottom thereof ills the space previously occupied by the dischargedsand, thereby attiiicially producing a filter-bed at 4the basco( thewell, and finally if desired withdrawing y 1 the pipe p from the well. j3. In a tube-well of the class described, the t combination with themain or fixed tubea and a base or screen section, as s, adapted a beremovably secured thereto, of a waitin u water pipe p extending into thewell, a tube, 8o as n, mounted within the said screen-section `having aflexible packing at its lower .endarranged to bear against the adjacentsurfe'o of the screen member, and a coneslmfped hollow cap, asf,interposed between andfaecured to the adjacent ends of the screen andpipe members, 8,19, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed-my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

DELBERT L. BARKER. 'p

Vitnesses:

ROY S. BARKER, THos. N. GLovER.

